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AM4378: AM4378 EMAC 2 port switch usage

Bernhard Panait
Prodigy 20 points
Part Number: AM4378

For one of our products we want to use the AM4378 Chip which has an up to 1000Mbit EMAC with 2 port switch

In case we use both ports to route information from one port to the other plus we also use one port to communicate with the AM4378 chip:

Can we do that or is the idea with the 2 port EMAC to use both Ethernet ports communicating with just the AM4 chip – no routing/switching of external data?

- In that case, do you recommend an external Switch?

- Will the load on the AM4 CPU increase for doing this routing/switching activity? How much will the load on  the CPU increase compared to a one Ethernet port use and optionally one Ethernet + one Industrial Ethernet port use ?

  • 0
    TI__Mastermind 27720 points

    Hello,

    When operating in Dual MAC mode, the downstream ports operate independently and are not able to directly share data.

    When operating in Switch mode, the downstream ports operate in a cooperative manner and are able to directly share data.

    It's not possible for me to definitively comment on the CPU impact given the large number of variables involved with network topology, traffic patterns, traffic type, etc. However, I can say that in the case of CPSW, the switch functionality is primarily implemented in hardware. CPU overhead was considered as part of the Ethernet integration process.